LSM Newswire

Thursday, September 17, 2009

The NAC Orchestra launches its 09-10 season with Romantic Revolution Festival led by Music Director Pinchas Zukerman, including guest artists Gil Shah

Ottawa, Canada ĺ─ý Pinchas Zukerman opens the National Arts Centre Orchestraĺ─˘s 40th anniversary season with the Romantic Revolution Festival from Wednesday, September 23 to Thursday, October 1 with guest stars including violinist Gil Shaham, pianists Angela Cheng, Katherine Chi and Anton Kuerti, and cellist Lynn Harrell. Over the course of five magnificent concerts on September 23, 24, 25, 30 and October 1 ĺ─ý four led by Pinchas Zukerman and one by Jean-Marie Zeitouni ĺ─ý the Festival explores the pivotal period in artistic and musical history that marked the emergence of Romanticism. Audiences will hear the first tentative strains of Romanticism in the music of Haydn (including his Cello Concerto performed by Lynn Harrell) and in Mozartĺ─˘s later piano concertos (performed by Angela Cheng and Katherine Chi). They will hear it flourish in the glorious passages of Beethovenĺ─˘s Eroica Symphony and Concerto for Violin (the latter performed and conducted by Pinchas Zukerman) and Mendelssohnĺ─˘s Violin Concerto (performed by Gil Shaham) and in the anguished harmonies of Schubertĺ─˘s Unfinished Symphony; and reach full power in the Symphony No. 4 by Schumann (Romantic composer par excellence) and the heart-wrenching Prelude to Act III of Verdiĺ─˘s La Traviata. (A chronological listing of concerts follows.)

Each concert opens with a capella musical selections sung by the Cantata Singers of Ottawa led by director Michael Zaugg.

The Festival includes ĺ─˙Musically Speakingĺ─¨ talks at 7 p.m. given by media and musical celebrities prior to the concerts on September 23, 24, and 25, and October 1. The first two are in French: ĺ─˙Lĺ─˘Art de composer un programmeĺ─¨ with musicologist Carol Bergeron on Sept. 23; ĺ─˙Les Beautłęs de lĺ─˘inachł«vement : la Huitił«me Symphonie de Schubertĺ─¨ with Franł▀ois Dompierre, composer and host, Radio-Canada, Espace musique on Sept. 24. The second two are in English: ĺ─˙Schumannĺ─˘s Revision Quest: a journey from brainstorm to scoreĺ─¨ with CBC Radio Executive Producer Jill LaForty interviewing CBC Music Producer David Houston on Sept. 25; and ĺ─˙Beethoven Liteĺ─¨ with writer and broadcaster Eric Friesen on Oct. 1. The Oct. 1 concert also includes a Post-Concert Talkback with Eric Friesen interviewing Pinchas Zukerman following the latterĺ─˘s performance of the Beethoven Violin Concerto.

The Sept. 30 concert is a detailed exploration of Mozartĺ─˘s Final Piano Concerto beginning with a ĺ─˙Beyond the ScoreČĂĺ─¨ multi-media exploration of Mozartĺ─˘s life and times featuring narrator Bill Richardson (of CBC Radio), Ottawa actor Pierre Brault, soprano Donna Brown and pianist Katherine Chi, with the NAC Orchestra performing musical excerpts. In the second half Katherine Chi and the NAC Orchestra led by Jean-Marie Zeitouni perform the concerto in its entirety. ĺ─˙Beyond the ScoreČĂĺ─¨ is a presentation of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Tickets for the Romantic Revolution Festival in the NACĺ─˘s Southam Hall at 8 p.m. are on sale now at $19, $29, $39.50, $50, $60, $70 and $87.50 at the newly renovated NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.) and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111. Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NACĺ─˘s website at www.nac-cna.ca.

Half-price tickets for students in all sections of the hall are on sale in person at the NAC Box Office upon presentation of a valid student ID card. Live Rush tickets (subject to availability) for full-time students (aged 13 to 29) are $11 at the NAC Box Office from 2 p.m. the day before the concert to 6 p.m. the day of, upon presentation of a valid Live Rush card.

Groups of 10 and more save 15% to 20% off the regular price of tickets to NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances. To reserve your seats call 613-947-7000 ext. 384 or email grp@nac-cna.ca.

Beethovenĺ─˘s ĺ─˙Eroicaĺ─¨ marks the turning point from Classicism to Romanticism with its extraordinary scope, bold harmonies, and drama. And its title? Originally dedicated to Napoleon, Beethoven angrily changed his dedication to ĺ─˙Sinfonia Eroica, Composed to Celebrate the Memory of a Great Man,ĺ─¨ after Napoleon declared himself Emperor. Gil Shaham, recent winner of the coveted Avery Fisher Prize and multiple Grammys, dazzles with lustrous tone and brilliant technique in Mendelssohnĺ─˘s jewel of a violin concerto.

Critically acclaimed Angela Cheng, known for her spot-on Mozart interpretations, is the soloist for his 21st Piano Concerto, which took its nickname from the radiant second movement heard in the film Elvira Madigan. Arianna Zukermanĺ─˘s shimmering voice reveals the beauty of Mozartĺ─˘s farewell gift to an admired soprano. Plus Schubertĺ─˘s most famous ĺ─ý and mysteriously abandoned ĺ─ý symphony, the ĺ─˙Unfinished.ĺ─¨

Schumann gave his wife the Fourth Symphony as a special gift: it celebrated her 22nd birthday, their first wedding anniversary, and the christening of their first child, and even included a musical portrait of her. Lynn Harrellĺ─˘s appealing way of reaching out to an audience has captured rapt listeners not only at the worldĺ─˘s famed concert halls, but also at the Grammys, where showbiz glitterati marveled at his artistry.

Join the NAC Orchestra and conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni, with stellar soloists, actor Pierre Brault and narrator Bill Richardson to explore the history of Mozartĺ─˘s music. The first half of this program includes projected images, musical examples performed by the NAC Orchestra and soloists, and theatrical narration; the second half features a performance of Mozartĺ─˘s Piano Concerto No. 27 in its entirety.

Beethovenĺ─˘s notoriously difficult masterpiece, sometimes dubbed ĺ─˙the Mount Everest of violin concertos,ĺ─¨ has near sacred status, testing the mettle of performers. What makes this evening even more extraordinary is that Pinchas Zukerman is not only the soloist but also conducts. Rounding out this all-Beethoven concert is a dramatic overture and the stately Choral Fantasy that, in tone and melody, foreshadows the ĺ─˙Ode to Joyĺ─¨ of the Ninth Symphony.